Awning structure



y 7, 1968 B. H. FELD AWNING STRUCTURE Original Filed Jan. 8, 1965INVENTOR. Ear/yard bf fYs/a m j flm/WTORNEYS United States Patent3,381,423 AWNING STRUCTURE Bernard H. Feld, Skokie, Ill., assignor toKenron Aluminum & Glass Corporation, a corporation of IllinoisContinuation of application Ser. No. 425,679, Jan. 8, 1965. Thisapplication Sept. 8, 1967, Ser. No. 666,520 3 Claims. (Cl. 52--78) Thisapplication is a continuation of applicants copending application Ser.No. 425,679, filed Jan. 8, 1965, now abandoned.

This invention relates to improvements in awning structures and moreparticularly relates to an improved form of rigid awning structure.

The invention relates generally to an awning structure having plasticpanels of a corrugated glass fiber material in which the corrugations ofthe panel run transversely of the framework for the panels. The framework is in the form of parallel rails having channels extending alongthe rails and opening toward each other. The feature of the invention isto seal the channels and ends of the fiberglass panels and to retain thepanels in position in the channels by folding resilient compressibleretainer pads over opposite edges of the panels to extend along theedges and the top and bottom sides of the panels. The channels aresealed and the panels are retained in position by the stored up energyin the compressible retainer pads as the panels with the pads foldedover the edges thereof are inserted in the channels by slidable movementtherealong.

A principal object of the invention is to provide a simple and improvedform of awning structure in which awning panels are retained in place ina rigid awning frame structure by the compressive force of expansibleretainers, having compressive engagement with the supporting rails ofthe framework for the awning structure.

A further object of the invention is to provide a rigid awning structureof a type that projects from the wall of a building over a window, dooror other opening, wherein the awning panels are assembled to the awningframe by sliding of the panels along the frame from an end thereof andare held in place by expansible retainers compressed by the frame andretaining the panels in position, and from rattling, by the stored upenergy of the retainers.

Still another object of the invention is to simplify the present rigidawning structures having metal frames and fiberglass panels, byproviding resilient retainers for the panels extending along the edgesand top and bottom sides of the panels, and slidable along channeledportions of the metal rails of the awning structure, and expansiblethereagainst, and retaining the panel to the metal rails of the awningstructure by the compressive force of the retainers against the channelsof the awning structure.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a novel andimproved form of rigid awning structure having plastic panels andparallel supporting rails, in which the supporting rails have facingchannels extending for the length thereof and in which the panels areretained in place in the channels by cellular rubber retainers extendingalong the edges and the top and bottom sides of the panels for the depthof the channels and are mounted on the rails by slidable movement of theretainers and panels along the channels, and are retained to the railsin leak and rattle proof relation with respect thereto by thecompressive force of the retainers against the panels and channels.

These and other objects of the invention will appear from time to timeas the following specification proceeds and with reference to theaccompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a rigid awning constructed inaccordance with principles of the invention,

showing the awning mounted to extend over the window of a building;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along line11-11 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary sectional view somewhat similar to FIGURE 1,but showing a modified form in which the supporting rails of the awningframe structure may be constructed.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, I haveshown in FIGURE 1 a rigid awning structure 10 mounted on the wall of abuilding over a window opening. The awning structure 10 includes a metalframework 11 having awning panels 12 supported thereon and herein shownas being corrugated, but which may be flat as well. The metal frameworkis hingedly mounted to the wall of a building by a hinge bracket 13extending across the top of the window opening and screwed or otherwisesecured to the wall of the building. The hinge bracket 13 has a lowerarcuate bearing support or hook portion 15 engaged by a tubular bead I6extending along the rear end portion of a hinge plate 17, and formedintegrally therewith. The hinge plate 17 extends along the top of theawning structure and is bolted or otherwise secured to the top surfaceof a center rail 18 and the top surfaces of outer rails 19 of the awningstructure. As shown in FIGURE 1, side covers 20 are provided for theends of the outer rails. The hinge plate 17 may extend over said sidecovers and may be bolted or otherwise secured to said covers and outerrails 19, 19.

The frame structure 11 includes the intermediate rail 18, the outer orside rails 19, 19, the side covers 20 and a front closure member orbrace 21 extending across the ends of the rails 18 and 19, 19. Each endrail 19 is channel-like in cross section and includes an inwardly facingchannel 23 having a base 24, a bottom wall 25 and a parallel spaced topwall 26. The bottom wall 25 has an upright leg 27 extending therealong,generally parallel to the base 24 for a portion of the height of thechannel and in alignment with a depending lip or gib 29 depending fromthe top wall 26 and forming the inner terminal end portion thereof. Theintermediate rail 18 has a divider 30 extending therealong withoutwardly opening channels 31, 31 opening from opposite sides of saiddivider towards the channels 23, 23 on opposite sides of said divider,and like the channels 23, so not herein shown or described further.

Each awning panel 12 is made from a plastic or synthetic materialsufiiciently resilient to conform to the form of the channels 31, 31 inthe rail 18 and the channels 23, 23 in the rails 19, 19 as the panel isslidably moved thereinto from the ends thereof. A preferable materialfor the awning panels is a corrugated fiberglass although the materialneed not necessarily be corrugated. The panels 12 herein shown arecorrugated and the corrugations extending transversely of the awningstructure.

Referring now in particular to the means for retaining the awning panelsto the rails 18 and 19, 19 as shown in FIGURE 2 a cellular or spongerubber retainer pad 33 extends along opposite edges of each panel and isfolded over and under the panels to extend along the tops and bottomsthereof for the depth of the channel 23. When inserting the awning panelwithin its supporting channels, the sponge rubber retainer pads areengaged with the edges of the panel and folded under and over the panelwith the terminal ends of the pad in a folded condition terminating atthe upright leg 27 and the depending lip 29. The pad 33 extends for thelength of the panel and is inserted in the channel 23 in its folded overcondition and is moved inwardly along the channel 3 with the fiberglasspanel 12 during insertion of the panel in the rails 18 and 19, 19. Thepanel preferably rests on the top surface of the leg 27 as inserted inthe channel 23.

The sponge rubber pad 33 has an outer skin enabling the pad to beslidably moved with the panel 12 along the channels 23 as the panels areinserted in the channels 23 and in the corresponding channel in theintermediate rail 19. The skin on the outer surface of the sponge rubberpad enables the pad to slidably move along the channel and to becompressed into engagement with opposite sides of the panel 12, asslidably moved along its channel. The compressive force or stored upenergy in the pads 33 as they tend to return to their normal unstressedcondition, therefore, positively retains the panels 12 to the rails 18and 19 and holds the panels from rattling in their channels and alsoprevents the entry of water into the channels.

If desired the pads 33 may be adhesively secured to opposite sides ofthe panels 12 by a pressure sensitive adhesive 5. This facilitate theinsertion of the panels in the facing channel in the rails 18 and 19,although a pressure sensitive adhesive need not necessarily be used.

While the sponge rubber pad 33 is show as being in one piece and foldedover the awning panel, it may be in two pieces, with one pad adhesivelysecured to the top of the panel and the other pad adhesively secured tothe bottom of the panel. A single pad adhesively secured to the top ofthe panel may also be compressed in the channel and press the panel intoengagement with the leg 23.

In the form of the invention illustrated in FIGURE 3 I have shown an endrail 39 like the rail 19, except the leg 27 has been eliminated. The topand bottom flanges of the channel are shown as terminating in alignmentwith each other to form an open channel to receive a sponge rubber pad33 folded over the edge of the channel and spacing the panel 12intermediate the top and bottom flanges of the channel to secure thepanel in place in the channel on the same general principles as in theform of the invention illustrated in FIGURE 1.

It may be seen from the foregoing that a simplified form of awningstructure has been provided particularly adapted for plastic orfiberglass panels, and that the panels are held in position in the railsof the frame structure of the awning by cushioning or sponge rubber padsextending over along the top and bottom surfaces of the panels andslidably moved along the channels of the rails of the frame structurefor the awning and retaining the panels to the awning frame structure bythe stored up energy of the pads. The structure just describedmaterially simplifies the rigid awning structures heretofore in use andmakes it possible to readily insert the panels in the rails of the framestructure and to retain the panels from rattling as well as to seal theends of the panels.

While I have herein shown and described one form in which the inventionmay be embodied, it may readily be understood that various variationsand modifications in the invention may be attained without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the novel concepts thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. In an awning structure,

a rigid frame adapted to extend from the wall of a building including apair of parallel spaced rails inclined downwardly from the wall of thebuilding, means connecting said rails together at their front and rearends,

said rails having channels formed lengthwise therein and opening towardeach other towards the ends of said rails,

a corrugated awning panel slidable within said channels from the endsthereof with the corrugations thereof extending transversely of saidrails, and

means retaining said panel to said rails comprising a pair of elongatedone-piece cushioning retainer pads extending respectively along theopposite edges of said panel,

each of said pads being wrapped around its corresponding panel edge andfolded over the top and bottom marginal portions of the panel, said padsbeing compressible from a free state configuration to a smallerassembled state configuration to fit into said channels,

said pads having a skin on the outer surface thereof for engaging thesides of the channels to enable the pads to be inserted lengthwise intothe channels and to snugly and sealingly retain the edges of the panelsin said rails,

said pads being sufficiently spongy to conform completely to thecorrugations of the panel.

2. An awning structure in accordance with claim 1,

in which the awning panel is made from corrugated fiberglass and thecushioning retainer pads are made from sponge rubber and are adhesivelysecured to the top and bottom sides of the panel,

3. The structure of claim 1,

wherein each channel has an upright leg extending upwardly from thebottom of each channel adjacent the outer end thereof, for the lengththereof, and forming a slidable support for the bottom surface of theawning panel, and

wherein said upright leg also forms a confining member for the portionof the cushioning retainer pad extending along the bottom of thecorrugated awning panel, confining the bottom of said cushioningretainer pad to exert pressure against the inner wall of the channel tofurther seal and prevent rattling of the panel Within the channels.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,565,294 8/1951 Bain 52762,731,686 l/l956 Ball 5274 2,781,561 2/1957 Gifford et a1 523972,983,001 5/1961 Guldager 52-4O3 X 3,092,171 6/1963 Deddo 5278 X3,266,192 8/1966 Kolm 49-383 X DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Primary Examiner.

PHILIP C. KANNAN, Assistant Examiner.

1. IN AN AWNING STRUCTURE, A RIGID FRAME ADAPTED TO EXTEND FROM THE WALLOF A BUILDING INCLUDING A PAIR OF PARALLEL SPACED RAILS INCLINEDDOWNWARDLY FROM THE WALL OF THE BUILDING, MEANS CONNECTING SAID RAILSTOGETHER AT THEIR FRONT AND REAR ENDS, SAID RAILS HAVING CHANNELS FORMEDLENGTHWISE THEREIN AND OPENING TOWARD EACH OTHER TOWARDS THE ENDS OFSAID RAILS, A CORRUGATED AWNING PANEL SLIDABLE WITHIN SAID CHANNELS FROMTHE ENDS THEREOF WITH THE CORRUGATIONS THEREOF EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OFSAID RAILS, AND MEANS RETAINING SAID PANEL TO SAID RAILS COMPRISING APAIR OF ELONGATED ONE-PIECE CUSHIONING RETAINER PADS EXTENDINGRESPECTIVELY ALONG THE OPPOSITE EDGES OF SAID PANEL, EACH OF SAID PADSBEING WRAPPED AROUND ITS CORRESPONDING PANEL EDGE AND FOLDED OVER THETOP AND BOTTOM MARGINAL PORTIONS OF THE PANEL, SAID PADS BEINGCOMPRESSIBLE FROM A FREE STATE CONFIGURATION TO A SMALLER ASSEMBLEDSTATE CONFIGURATION TO FIT INTO SAID CHANNELS, SAID PADS HAVING A SKINON THE OUTER SURFACE THEREOF FOR ENGAGING THE SIDES OF THE CHANNELS TOENABLE THE PADS TO BE INSERTED LENGTHWISE INTO THE CHANNELS AND TOSNUGLY AND SEALINGLY RETAIN THE EDGES OF THE PANELS IN SAID RAILS, SAIDPADS BEING SUFFICIENTLY SPONGY TO CONFORM COMPLETELY TO THE CORRUGATIONSOF THE PANEL.